(Eagle News) — Solicitor General Jose Calida on Saturday argued there was basis for the extension of martial law in Mindanao precisely because a “rebellion” continued to exist there even after Marawi was declared liberated from the clutches of terrorists.
In his 63-page comment on the four petitions filed questioning the constitutionality of the extension, Calida said the Supreme Court itself has already said in Lagman v. Medialdea that “there are other rebel groups in Mindanao that have launched offensives.”
“Because of the widespread atrocities in Mindanao and the linkages established among rebel groups, the armed uprising in Marawi cannot be equated with the rebellion in the other parts of Mindanao,” he said.
The Supreme Court has set oral arguments for the petitions separately filed by the Makabayan bloc, militant groups, former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales, and the group led by former Commission on Elections chair Christian Monsod, among others.
All petitioners said the extension was unconstitutional since there was no longer any actual rebellion in Mindanao.
They said the existence of an actual rebellion was necessary for the declaration to be allowed under the Constitution.
